The mysterious fortress
When you approach the hill on which perched overlooking the wonderful and lonely manor of Castel del Monte, in the solemn stillness of the Alta Murgia, you have the feeling of being in front of something mysterious, perhaps because of its octagonal shape that distinguishes it any other fortress or to the legend that wants casket of the Holy Grail. Those who conceived and built this marvel declared in 1996 Heritage? The lack of documents, did assume various theories on the nature of the Castle, on the date of construction, its founder and even on the intended use. Among the various hypotheses the most established is the one that believes Castel del Monte by Frederick II of Swabia, in fact, carefully examining the building you realize how much there is a strong imprint of his thinking and his personality.
Figure of great culture, temperament and spirit of initiative, Federico II surrounded himself with intellectuals, excluding the high feudal nobility. The Emperor studied with passion and rigor of the classics, science, mathematics and astronomy; a knowledge that seems to be reflected in the large manor project, where nothing is left to chance. Castel del Monte has an exceptional universal value for the perfection of its forms, the harmonious blending of cultural elements from northern Europe, the Muslim world and classical antiquity. It ‘a unique masterpiece of medieval architecture, reflecting the humanism of its founder. The octagonal design of the castle and the repeated use of the number eight, in the various architectural components, has freed the imagination of scholars, fueled by magic to it, the obsessive application of geometric rule in every element of the building.
To visit the inside you have to follow a specific path. Through the imposing main entrance, in coralline breccia, you are accessed in a first room and into an adjacent next, finally by the latter to reach the courtyard. Throughout the castle, only three rooms have direct access to the courtyard, are large rooms that take light from single-light windows and French doors.
Access to the upper floor is via three spiral staircases inside three towers grafted on the outer edges of the octagon that draws the architectural plan, the other five towers welcome the tanks and toilets equipped with toilet and sink and perhaps connected to a spa for personal hygiene, following the widespread practice in the Arab world. On the first floor there are eight large rooms aligned with those of the lower floor but the rooms are much brighter thanks to large openings on the surrounding landscape. The windows are set on a base made up of sessions reached by climbing a few steps. In the eight rooms on the upper floor, there are a total of seven mullioned windows and a three. The three-light is directed to the north and see the city of Andria Frederick called “fidelis” and where, in the cathedral crypt, the two beloved Emperor’s wives are buried, Jolanda of Brienne and Isabella of England.
All the visitor’s path inside the castle is conceived as a journey toward purification, to beauty and truth. This concept is taken from the Arabic tradition, in fact as in Arab temples, also in the manor Frederick all portals are decorated only in the part that the visitor looks as it passes through them in his path, the part that the visitor leaves behind is simple. In addition, a choice of settling the entire project on the number eight is highly symbolic because if eight is read horizontally represents infinity, also the corresponding geometric figure comes from a combination of circles and squares, symbols respectively of heaven and land and thus the Divine and man. In this way, the castle would represent the transition from the finite to the infinite.
And ‘no doubt that Castel del Monte is much more than an artifact that contains architectural quotations from various sources is also a symbol of human knowledge where mathematical laws, geometric, astrophysics and evolution of celestial bodies merge into a single body stone without solution of continuity. E ‘you can take guided tours of the castle which also offers beautiful temporary exhibitions for more.
In collaboration with the editors of Itinerapuglia.com